The invention relates to a ski with a connecting device for connecting a ski binding comprising a front and rear cup piece to the ski.
An approach known from the prior art is to couple the two cup pieces of a ski binding, which comprises a toe piece and a heel piece spaced at a distance apart from the latter, with the ski body with a binding support plate or so-called binding plate connected in between. In this connection, there are essentially four known basic principles relating to the coupling of the binding support plate with the ski. In particular, the load-transmitting or force-transmitting coupling between the binding support plate and the ski body takes place starting from the central portion of the binding support plate or starting from the front and/or rear end of the binding support plate, as disclosed in DE 21 34 810 A1 and DE 21 35 450 A1, for example.
A known approach in particular is to support the oppositely lying distal ends or end portions of the binding support plate on the ski in a load-transmitting arrangement, thereby providing coupling mechanisms which affect the camber or bend of the ski body as little as possible in order to obtain a harmonious bending line and to impart as little stiffening as possible to the ski underneath the binding support plate in spite of having fitted the ski binding or binding support plate. Combinations of articulated connections or articulated and guide connections are provided for this purpose, which are disposed at the oppositely lying end portions of the binding support plate, as disclosed in publications U.S. Pat. No. 5,129,668 A, DE 39 32 438 A1, EP 1 051 225 A1, or CH 681 205 A5. Depending on the strength or bending stiffness of the binding support plate, elastomeric inserts may also be provided in the portions between the distal bearing or articulated connections to the ski, disposed between the binding support plate and the ski top face, thereby fulfilling a damping function and thus keeping any elastic flexing of the binding support plate, which is subjected to high stress, to a negligible degree.
In addition to the binding support plates mentioned above, with ski coupling mechanisms disposed at the ends, such as articulated joints and linear guides, for example, another known approach is to connect a binding support plate with a relatively high bending stiffness to the ski in an articulated arrangement at its middle or central portion and to connect at least one distal end, in particular the rear support plate end, to the ski via a coupling rod, causing a change in the inclination of the standing surface of the support body relative to the ski body, depending on the elastic camber or bend of the ski body, as disclosed by EP 0 780 142 B1. Based on another embodiment, the latter proposes coupling the rear half of the binding support plate rigidly with the ski and designing the front half of the binding support plate as a cantilevered flexural element, as disclosed in FIGS. 7, 8 of the above-mentioned publication. However, the performance which can be achieved with this construction is only satisfactory under certain conditions.
EP 0 780 143 B1 proposes connecting the front end of the binding support plate to the ski in a fixed arrangement remaining at the same height and mounting the rear end of the binding support plate so as to be adjustable in height relative to the ski top face. A rigid support element is provided in the longitudinal middle portion of the binding support plate, which guarantees a fixed minimum height between the binding support plate and the ski top face. This construction is intended to influence the stiffness of the ski under the effect of a compression force expended by the user.
WO 2008/032349 A1 specifies a binding support plate, which ensures a more uniform and more extensive pressure distribution of the ski body relative to the ground underneath. In this instance, a binding support plate with as high as possible a bending stiffness is provided, made from metal or a carbon fiber composite material (CFK). This rigid binding support plate is connected to the ski body at its middle portion by means of either an articulated connection or by means of a rigid connection. Respective extension arms are provided at oppositely lying ends of the support plate, which extend in the direction towards the ski tip and in the direction towards the ski end and each provide a coupling for the binding support plate and ski by means of an articulated connection as well as a combined rotating and translating connection. The extension arms projecting out towards the front and rear are intended to produce a more extensive distribution of force or pressure from the binding support plate towards the ski body. The disadvantage of this approach is that it is necessary to use a rigid support plate made from metal or CFK mounted at the center or middle of the ski body in order to withstand the forces which occur during use of the ski with sufficient positional stability. Especially in the event of elastic bending or flexing of the binding support plate supported on the center or middle of the ski body, performance is significantly impaired in terms of controllability and as regards the ability to maneuver the ski body as directly as possible and without delay.